|premium|

AUD/USD Forecast: Mildly bearish ahead of RBA’s decision

AUD/USD Current Price: 0.7631

  • The RBA is expected to maintain its monetary policy unchanged.
  • Services output in Australia improved by more than expected in January.
  • AUD/USD is technically poised to extend its decline, but RBA expected to be hawkish.

The AUD/USD pair fell to an intraday low of 0.7605, but is finishing the day little changed in the 0.7630 area. The aussie fell at the opening as a hotel guard who sparked a 5-day lockdown in the Perth area was confirmed to have the UK coronavirus strain. Australia has been quite fast to respond to single contagions, but a paralyzed region always spurs concerns.

Australian data was upbeat as the January Commonwealth Bank Manufacturing PMI was confirmed at 57.2 while the AIG Performance of Manufacturing Index for the same month came in at 55.3 from 52.1 in the previous month. TD Securities Inflation resulted at 1.5% YoY, matching the previous reading. This Tuesday, the focus will be on the Reserve Bank of Australia. The central bank is widely anticipated to keep its monetary policy unchanged, and probably review its economic outlook to the upside.

AUD/USD short-term technical outlook

The AUD/USD pair is at risk of falling further, but the RBA has little chances of being a bearish catalyst. In the 4-hour chart, a bearish 20 SMA caps the upside, heading lower below the larger ones. The Momentum indicator turned south within neutral levels, while the RSI consolidates around 42. A steeper decline is to be expected on a break below 0.7590, the low from last week.

Support levels: 0.7625 0.7590 0.7550

Resistance levels: 0.7685 0.7720 0.7770

View Live Chart for the AUD/USD

Premium

You have reached your limit of 3 free articles for this month.

Start your subscription and get access to all our original articles.

Subscribe to PremiumSign In

Author

Valeria Bednarik

Valeria Bednarik was born and lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her passion for math and numbers pushed her into studying economics in her younger years.

More from Valeria Bednarik
Share:

Editor's Picks

EUR/USD weakens as US jobs data trims Fed rate cut bets

The EUR/USD pair trades in negative territory for the third consecutive day near 1.1860 during the early European session on Thursday. Traders will keep an eye on the US weekly Initial Jobless Claims data. On Friday, the attention will shift to the US Consumer Price Index inflation report. 

GBP/USD bullish outlook prevails above 1.3600, UK GDP data looms

The GBP/USD pair gains ground near 1.3635, snapping the two-day losing streak during the early European session on Thursday. The preliminary reading of UK Gross Domestic Product for the fourth quarter will be closely watched later on Thursday. The UK economy is estimated to grow 0.2% QoQ in Q4, versus 0.1% in Q1. 

Gold remains on the defensive below two-week top; lacks bearish conviction amid mixed cues

Gold sticks to modest intraday losses through the Asian session on Thursday, though it lacks follow-through selling and remains close to a nearly two-week high, touched the previous day. The commodity currently trades above the $5,070 level, down just over 0.20% for the day, amid mixed cues.

UK GDP set to post weak growth as markets rise bets on March rate cut

Markets will be watching closely on Thursday, when the United Kingdom’s Office for National Statistics will release the advance estimate of Q4 Gross Domestic Product. If the data land in line with consensus, the UK economy would have continued to grow at an annualised pace of 1.2%, compared with 1.3% recorded the previous year. 

The market trades the path not the past

The payroll number did not just beat. It reset the tone. 130,000 vs. 65,000 expected, with a 35,000 whisper. 79 of 80 economists leaning the wrong way. Unemployment and underemployment are edging lower. For all the statistical fog around birth-death adjustments and seasonal quirks, the core message was unmistakable. The labour market is not cracking.

Sonic Labs’ vertical integration fuels recovery in S token

Sonic, previously Fantom (FTM), is extending its recovery trade at $0.048 at the time of writing, after rebounding by over 12% the previous day. The recovery thesis’ strengths lie in the optimism surrounding Sonic Labs’ Wednesday announcement to shift to a vertically integrated model, aimed at boosting S token utility.